What is “Mayim Achronim”? There is a practice in many Orthodox communities to wash the hands before reciting Birkat Hamazon. This practice is called Mayim Achronim (final waters). It is held that this, though a chovah (duty), is not a mitzvah (meritorious action), as the practice was instituted for health reasons (specifically, to avoid the danger of touching the eyes with harmful salts). A special ritual dispenser (also called a Mayim Achronim) can be used to dispense the water. The practice is based on a ruling recorded in the Talmud. The halachca about the use of the garment determines that the water must be poured into such a garment and if they are visible they must be cleared of the table before saying grace.
Nowadays only the strict practice this custom, the lenient pass or simply pour a small amount of water over their finger tips.
The garment I designed is made out of two components:
The first is a water tank shaped as a water drop. In its upper part you can find a slit through which the water can be filled. The bottom is a soldered interior brass weight, which makes the vessel stand still even without the support of the basin.
The second part is a basin for collecting the water, shaped as an echo of the drop. At the upper part of the basin there is a drainage point through which the water passes into the hoarding tank. The water is concealed and therefore is allowed to remain on the table during Birkat Hamazon.
After the use, you can easily empty the water by tilting the vessel to the side, since there is a gap between the two layers of the basin that allows water flow.
